Information from Blaise Ducos, Curator of 17th-and 18th-century Dutch and Flemish paintings at Musée du Louvre

A New York private collection is lending to the Louvre a painting by Ferdinand Bol (1616-1680). The museum seldom hosts works not belonging to its collection in its permanent galleries. This long-term loan is the more exceptional given the quality of the painting: Eliezer and Rebecca at the Well, a recently discovered picture from Bol’s mature years, is now hanging near Gerbrand van den Eeckhout’s Anna presenting her Son Samuel to the High Priest and Jan Victor’s Isaac blessing Jacob.
The Louvre is home to several Bol paintings, among which the spectacular Portrait of the Trip children. This generous loan aptly combines with the Dutch pictures on view to give the public a sense of the Dutch treatment of sacred history – the “alttestamentliche Historien” brought to life under the brush of Golden Age masters, namely pupils of Rembrandt.

The Louvre is most thankful to the owner of the picture for his generosity.